…Let’s start though with that nagging thought you might be having that says “Is this idea good enough to be a story?” Or maybe that thought is “Am I a good enough writer to write a novel?” These are the same things that go through everyone’s brains when they’re writing.
Someone in my creative writing class in college even turned to me and said, maybe you shouldn’t write a novel. I hope he knows that I am a multi award-winning novelist. Which means you can too.
I want to suggest that you write those negative thought down and you tuck them away in a box or a file folder. Something to pull out much later, and hopefully toss aside. Because you are a better writer than you think you are.
Plus, you never know how good your story is until you’ve put it through a beta reading group or critique group. And you can’t do that until the book is written.
So lock those thoughts away and focus on getting the book done.
Developing Characters
Once you have your idea, it’s time to populate your world with characters. Who are they? What motivates them? Dive deep into their backgrounds, quirks, and aspirations. Well-developed characters breathe life into your narrative.
You could have a character who is a plumber who grew up in New York City and you could have a character who is a ballerina who grew up in California. You put them both on a spaceship full of evil octopus. They’re each going to think and act a little differently.
As long as you know who your characters are, you can plop them in any situation, and know how they’re gonna react.
I suggest that you check out my character worksheet, you can get it for free from the women’s thriller writers association and I’ll put that link in the show notes. It will step you through all the questions and thoughts you should put down especially about your main characters.
Setting the Stage
Your story needs a stage to unfold. Whether it’s a bustling city, a quaint village, or a fantasy realm, the setting plays a crucial role. Visualize your world, sketch maps, and immerse yourself in the atmosphere you want to convey.
One thing I would suggest is building yourself an either physical or online bulletin board with pictures of your characters and locations. That way when you get writing you get right into the feel of your book.
Planning or Pantsing
It’s the age-old debate – to plan or to pants (write by the seat of your pants)? There’s no one-size-fits-all answer. Experiment and find what works best for you. Some writers swear by detailed outlines, while others let the story unfold organically.
When I wrote my first two novels, they were very much pantsing. I had a few scenes in my head so I wrote those first and then connected them through the rest of the story that I wrote. Books 3 and four, because they’re part of a series, I did a bit more planning so that way there was more connection between the series books.
Remember, the goal is to find a method that supports your creativity and keeps you motivated.
When you sit down to start writing your book, guess what, you don’t have to start at a very first chapter. Maybe you’re going to start with some backstory that you’ll delete later that the reader doesn’t need but that helps you stay in the world that you’re building.
Or maybe you write that scene in the middle of the story where the characters find themselves in a tough situation.
Of course, if you need to write from beginning to end, that is totally fine too.
I’ve also recently had quite a few people. Ask me if I could help them get started on a book and so I put together a little event for February. We I’ll have some pick off events or people can ask me questions and I’ll help them get organized and ready to write their book. Then throughout February I will schedule a bunch of online writing where us writers can connect and support each other and we keep writing. If you’re interested, check out blink in the show notes or go to women’s thriller riders.com to find more information.
Show Notes:
Character worksheets:
February Writing Event: